


Hapless Anastasia

by Captain_Ravenclaw_49



Series: Anastasia's New Life [1]
Category: Cinderella (1950), Disney Princesses
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Ending, Brainwashing, Broken Families, Despair, Distrust, Fairy Tale Retellings, Family, Forgiveness, Friendship/Love, Guilt, Magic, Manipulation, Multi, POV First Person, Rage, Redemption, Revelations, Romance, Running Away, Sequel, Sister-Sister Relationship, Time Travel, Wedding Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 13:11:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20064580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Ravenclaw_49/pseuds/Captain_Ravenclaw_49
Summary: This is a short fanfic of the end of Cinderella III: A Twist In Time, showing what might have happened if Anastasia decided to isolate herself from Cinderella, to punish herself for going along with Tremaine's plot to undo her happy ending. It is also, for the first time, narrated from the first-person perspective of Cinderella. Enjoy! PS: The fun really 'begins' in Chapter 2.





	1. The Conflict In Anastasia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Lady Tremaine takes Fairy Godmother's wand, Cinderella has been forced to jump into action to restore her happy ending before Anastasia can marry her Prince. But is Anastasia really up to it, or is there something else on her mind?

This is the story of how my stepsister, Anastasia Tremaine finally broke out of her mother's shell and helped me to fix my happy ending, when she tried to take it from me, and how she finally found her own true love. It all began two years ago. For many years, Lady Tremaine and my two Stepsisters, Drizella and Anastasia had both treated me horribly. The morning after the ball, my psychopath of a stepmother had now stolen the Fairy Godmother's wand, rewound my 'happy ending' to the moment her troubles began, and used it to enlarge my glass slipper in order to fit on Anastasia's foot. She feared I could go after Kit, so she tried to pre-empt my efforts by altering the Kit's memory to convince him that he danced with Anastasia. However, Anastasia was already starting to wonder if what she was doing was trying to do was genuinely right. Eventually, Jaq and Gus found me and explained everything. Eventually, Jaq and Gus recovered the wand, but not before Lady Tremaine uncovered me. 'You're more persistent than I thought, Cinderella', said Tremaine. 'I can't allow you to get away with this', I replied with a stern expression. 'We already have', she replied, smugly. 'I don't think so, WOMAN', I retorted. For the first time in my life, I was rude to my stepmother, and with good reason. I managed to recover the wand and almost managed to undo the spell, only to be narrowly caught by Tremaine. I managed to grace my hand over Kit's, saying he was under a spell. 'But of course she's lying! You're not under a spell, and I want that lying, thieving, insolent little madam exiled from the kingdom', barked Tremaine. But I think the Prince must have known something was wrong. Anastasia looked on, now starting to feel guilty for going along with Tremaine. Kit, meanwhile was escorted to see the mice, who explained the indoctrination job that had been performed on him by Lady Tremaine. He rushed off to save me from being banished and narrowly managed to board the ship I was on. We touched hands, and the magic faded away. Our love had indeed become too strong for even magic. 'Will you marry me, Cinderelly?', he asked. 'Yes, but actually, it's Cinderella. I take it the mice told you who I was?', I replied. 'Yes, they did', he responded, as we embraced.

Unfortunately for both of us, the Prince had been clocked by Lady Tremaine. Having realized the magic hadn't worked on him, she set about making one final ditch attempt to land Anastasia with the Prince. By now, having realized the Prince truly loved me, Anastasia knew that we were truly meant to be from the beginning, and that she only wanted to be loved for herself. She wasn't even sure if she truly loved the Prince, but she was too afraid to admit it, for fear of infuriating the rest of the Tremaine household. The King was informed of Lady Tremaine's terrible act and ordered the the entire household to be arrested. Lady Tremaine used the wand to teleport the Tremaine family into hiding, just as the guards burst in. As I prepared for my wedding, Lady Tremaine and Lucifer emerged from the shadows, and then, she summoned a visibly nervous Anastasia. Tremaine explained that she had reversed my happily ever after in order to land Anastasia with the Prince, and said that the Prince would be very happy living with this pseudo-Cinderella that she had created, as he would have no idea it was Anastasia. She said that Anastasia had taken the Fairy Godmother's wand because she claimed it would answer to their prayers; she could have a love of her own, and Drizella and Lady Tremaine could have riches and power. I was horrified by the very idea, and I knew Anastasia was feeling apprehensive about marrying the Prince, so I tried to turn her over. 'But, is this, Anastasia? Is this what you really want, to reverse my happy ending to gain your own?', I asked, in an effort to change her mind. 'I want what you had', she replied, broadening her mother's malicious grin. I could see her nervously looking to Lady Tremaine, and realized something was definitely going through her mind. 'But do you truly love him?', I asked, making one final effort to turn her over. 'I…I…', she began to respond. Fearing I could change Anastasia's heart, Tremaine was quick to take action. She used the wand to teleport me into a twisted pumpkin carriage, along with Jaq and Gus. She transformed Lucifer into a human and made him the driver. Tremaine's plan was to have Lucifer take the three of us to our doom, while Anastasia took my place. Jaq, Gus and I managed to conquer over the carriage and threw Lucifer off. 'Bad kitty!', I growled, as he plunged into the river below. 'What're you gonna do, Cinderelly?', asked Gus. 'Well, I'm not gonna miss my own wedding', I told him. I rushed back to my wedding where Anastasia was about to be landed, or in Lady Tremaine's case, hitched with the Prince.

By now, having seen Anastasia's apprehension, I was starting to wonder whether she truly loved the Prince, or whether she was being forced to marry Kit against her will. I was now feeling more willing than ever to take a stand against my Stepmother; she may have used magic to turn back the hands of time and undo my happy ending, but I would now fight to the last to restore it. Whilst I had yet to discover whether or not Anastasia truly loved Kit, I knew there was something going through her mind. 'Come on, Major, we're almost there!', I encouraged him, as we neared the palace. We could hear trumpets sounding. I knew, by that signal, that the wedding was about to start, and Anastasia would have to make the life-changing choice of either marrying the Prince for her mother, or giving it all up for me, and having to face the wrath of Lady Tremaine. 'But what should we do if Anastasia doesn't love Princey?', asked Jaq. 'Well, if it turns out to be the case that Anastasia doesn't love the Prince, I'll definitely be in for a shock; and I may have to protect her from Lady Tremaine; I could see Anastasia nervously looking at her mother when I asked her if she truly loved Kit', I answered. 'And if that isn't the case?', asked Gus. 'If her desire for love is strong enough for her to say 'I do', I'll have to stop the marriage myself. In any case, we need to stop this wedding', I told him, as we passed through the castle gates.

At the wedding, Anastasia was becoming increasingly uneasy and reluctant. She was about to have everything she thought she ever wanted, love, riches, and even beauty, but she wasn't herself and she wanted someone to love her for who she was, not as someone else. By now, she wasn't even sure if she would be happy or if she even loved Kit. The King walked Anastasia down the aisle. When she reached Kit, she was able to see Drizella and Tremaine, as they waited for her, disguised as me, to exchange her vow with Kit. I made it back to the palace and saw the two guards standing at the door, both of whom were quickly dealt with, thanks to Jaq and Gus. They crawled up their uniforms to distract them. I then sneaked into the chapel and made it to the part where the Priest said 'Do you, your highness take Cinderella to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, to love and cherish as long as you both shall live?'. 'I do', answered Kit. 'And do you, Cinderella take Prince Kit to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and cherish as long as you both shall live?', the Priest asked. 'I…I…', Anastasia began to answer. The rest of the Tremaine family were waiting on pins and needles for Anastasia to say 'I do'. Their adrenaline levels shot up when they saw me approaching the altar; they were convinced that Lucifer would've disposed of me, but they were shocked to find I had managed to escape. As I drew closer to the altar, Anastasia grasped Kit's hand, unsure whether she would truly feel a special connection to him. She didn't. It finally dawned on Anastasia that she did not truly love Kit. She looked to her right and saw me standing just a few meters from her. Anastasia looked back to Kit and noticed his expression of unease, and then she hastily looked back to me, this time looking me dead in the eye, as I looked back at her. I thought I would have to shut the wedding down all on my own, without even Jaq or Gus, but I arrived just in time...to be stopped. 'I…DON'T', she said, to my amazement. I gasped at Anastasia's reply. Prior to arriving at the Chapel, I was convinced that I would have to stop the wedding myself, but I had arrived just in time to witness Anastasia refusing to marry Kit, to my astonishment. Anastasia gazed at me with a look of sheer guilt on her face, as Kit looked to his left and saw me; the real Cinderella standing only a few meters away from him...


	2. Why Should I Forgive Myself?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, as Anastasia comes clean about her true intentions, Lady Tremaine is about to reveal her true colours, and it could spill some hard truths about Cinderella's past, and drive Anastasia into taking an even worse path for her life...

Anastasia and I were both in the cold light of day. I too realized that Anastasia didn't truly love Kit and that she only wanted to be loved for herself, and not as someone else. Had Anastasia been cowardly enough to say 'I do', I would have tried to shut the wedding down myself, but I now knew that Anastasia couldn't go through with Lady Tremaine's plot to reverse my happy ending, because she could not bear to be something she knew she wasn't. 'Anastasia?!', I gasped at hearing her saying 'I DON'T'. 'Cinderella?', she answered, as she and Kit sharply pulled their hands away from each other. Anastasia felt she had to tell me the truth about her desire for love. 'I couldn't go through with this, Cinderella; I don't truly love Kit, and I only want someone to love me...for ME', she told me, looking me in the eyes again. 'So that's what you were trying to tell me!', I exclaimed. This was a shocking revelation; I already knew Anastasia wanted love, prior to the wedding, but I could not have possibly imagined that she only wanted to be loved for who she truly was. Kit looked to both of us, visibly startled. He now knew that the Cinderella standing in front of him was Anastasia, who had finally come clean about her true identity, and that I, the Cinderella standing a few meters to his left was the real Cinderella. It was the final straw for Lady Tremaine and Drizella. They were both infuriated by Anastasia's sudden conscience and knew they could no longer hide their treachery. They decided there was no longer any point in hiding themselves, as they were still bent on destroying my happy ending, and so they emerged from the shadows, as I looked on. Anastasia may well have exposed my stepmother's plan to Kit, but the merciless Lady Tremaine was back on the warpath, and now wanted an even worse revenge. 'You spoilt, ungrateful woman! I've given you everything you ever wanted, Anastasia!', yelled Tremaine, visibly angered by Anastasia's change of heart. 'But I want someone to love me for MYSELF, not as someone else!', yelled Anastasia. 'It's wrong, mom!', Anastasia continued. 'I agree, Anastasia', I replied. 'You're in for it now, Anastasia!', yelled Lady Tremaine again. 'Guards, seize that woman!', the King ordered. The guards rushed towards the rest of the Tremaine family to arrest them. In a fit of lust for power, and without one iota of fear, Lady Tremaine pointed the wand at the ceiling and yelled 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'. She created a whirling vortex of evil magic and started turning the guards into farm animals; first chickens, then dogs, and finally, rabbits. I had never seen magic being used in such a malicious way, and I was now wondering what Lady Tremaine was going to do to get revenge on Anastasia for saying 'I DON'T'.

Tremaine aimed the wand at Anastasia and prepared to strike her down. 'Turn her into a toad, mother', Drizella suggested. My shock and amazement had now turned to anger, because it was only then that I started to realize how ruthless Lady Tremaine had become, and how unloving she truly was. I realized that she was willing to do anything to reverse my happy ending, and would therefore happily destroy Anastasia's happy ending as well, and also use her evil magic on Anastasia if she dared to oppose her mother's authority for me. I realized the terrible truth that she did not want anyone in the household to have true love, and that she indeed had no concern for Anastasia, and was exploiting her desire for love to fulfil her narcissistic hunger for prestige, which was an even worse revelation for me. But Drizella was convinced it was alright for her; she trusted Lady Tremaine unconditionally. To say the situation was far worse than I could have possibly imagined would be an understatement. I was grateful that Anastasia had finally turned back on her wickedness and wanted to help me, and so I had to defend her for trying to fix my happy ending. 'Leave her alone!', I commanded, as I stepped in to defend Anastasia, glaring at Lady Tremaine. 'She only wants to be loved for who she is!', I growled at her. An unfazed Lady Tremaine aimed the wand and yelled 'Even better!'. 'Turn 'em both into toads, mom', chanted Drizella. Lady Tremaine's desire for retribution was building; she already wanted revenge on me for escaping her in my former life, and now wanted revenge on Anastasia for not going through with her plot. She would happily kill two birds with one stone. Kit hastily ran over to protect us. Lady Tremaine's malicious smile was growing broader by the second; she was already intent on getting revenge on me for attempting to escape the harsh life she had forced me to live, and now wanted revenge on Anastasia for not going through with her plan to ruin my happy ending, and was now willing to cause harm to my True Love as well, and her desire for revenge was driven by one thing; her hunger for power and riches. 'Oh, even better than that; you will also pay for going against the Tremaine household, Kit!', Lady Tremaine growled again. 'Anyone else want to join them?', she asked, hoping to turn more poor souls into toads if they dared stand up for me and Anastasia. The King and Grand Duke both stood up. Kit tried to stop them, yelling 'Dad, stay out of this, please, for your own good!', but they stood in front of him anyway, much to Lady Tremaine's delight.

Before Tremaine attempted to strike us down, she decided to vent her spleen at Anastasia. 'YOU ARE A STUCK-UP, PRECIOUS LITTLE BITCH, ANASTASIA TREMAINE! DRIZELLA AND I HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER WISH FOR; BEAUTY, RICHES AND POWER, AND YOU HAVE THROWN IT ALL BACK IN OUR FACES! EVERY SINGLE THING I HAVE EVER DONE SINCE YOU AND DRIZELLA WERE BORN HAS BEEN FOR YOU, AND YOU ALONE!', she shrieked at her poor daughter. Before she met her fate, Anastasia demanded to know if Lady Tremaine had any part in the death of her husband. 'You killed my father, didn't you?', she asked. 'I'M AFRAID YOU'RE RIGHT, ANASTASIA!', her mother battled on. 'I DISPOSED OF YOUR UNGRATEFUL FATHER BECAUSE HE WAS A BURDEN TO YOU AND DRIZELLA!'. As hard as that was for me to believe, her next revelation was an even more dire shock. 'AND I DID THE EXACT SAME THING TO *YOUR* FATHER, CINDERELLA, AND YOUR *MOTHER* AS WELL! I DID ALL OF THIS TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE POWER, ANASTASIA!', she revealed. As angry as I may have been at my stepmother trying to attack Anastasia, my rage and horror were now escalating more than ever. Anastasia decided to assert her individuality again. 'I refuse to go along with you, mother; because I have learnt the true meaning of love!', she protested. And I decided to stand up for her once again. 'And she refused to marry Kit because we both know that you only killed our parents to quench your thirst for power, and that you won't give up a single thing for Anastasia!', I yelled, expressing my gratitude for Anastasia's decision. 'I wanted your approval all my life', Anastasia expressed. 'Yes, you did, Anastasia, but she now knows that nothing she does will ever be enough for you, mother!', I continued. 'And all you want above all else is power!', Anastasia added. Only now did she realize what a psychopath her mother truly was. 'YOU LIAR!', Tremaine roared, visibly insulted by Anastasia's comment. 'AND YOUR KINGDOM ISN'T SAFE, EITHER, YOUR MAJESTY; I DON'T EVEN NEED TO BE RELATED TO YOU; I HAVE MAGIC; THE ULTIMATE POWER, SO I CAN STILL RULE THIS KINGDOM!', she continued. Lady Tremaine was now so overcome with anger that we could see her face actually starting to turn white. Anastasia closed her eyes tightly; she was convinced her mother had it in for all of us now. For the first time in my life, I was genuinely livid with Lady Tremaine; for I had now realized that all that lay deep within her heart was pure, unbridled lust, anger and hatred, and it finally dawned on me how merciless she truly was from the very beginning; for she was not only willing to turn all five of us into toads, but she would happily turn Drizella into a toad as well, if it weren't for her unconditional trust. Lady Tremaine aimed the wand at all five of us for the final blow, now that all else had failed.

I decided to take the final stand against my stepmother; I couldn't allow her to harm my sister, or my true love, or the King, and I couldn't allow her to take control of the Kingdom and rule it with an iron fist. 'Kit, I need that sword', I told him. Kit gave me his sword, although was a bit sceptical and said 'Cinderella, you may need me'. 'Thank you, Kit, but I have to do this myself', I replied. Kit nodded in agreement. I armed myself with Kit's sword and steadied myself. 'Go on, then, mother. Try and us into toads', I dared her, as I wisely kept my anger in check. 'ALRIGHT, THEN! YOU ASKED FOR IT, CINDERELLA!', she retorted. I hastily prepared to deflect the bolt of magic Tremaine was about to launch. Her face was now glowing white with hatred and revenge, and I knew I had inadvertently pushed her over the edge. 'BIBBIDI...BOBBIDI...BOOOOOOOOOOOO!', she thundered, unable to contain her hatred and lust a second longer, as she fired a bolt of magic at us. I managed to deflect the incoming bolt of magic. It bounced off the sword and back to Lady Tremaine and Drizella, turning them into toads. The cloud of evil magic flying above us faded away, as I breathed a sigh of relief. 'Are you two alright?', I asked Kit and Anastasia. They both replied 'Yes', but Anastasia clearly looked disapproving of my act of protecting her, because she was now only too convinced that she did not deserve it.

Anastasia took my hand, and Kit's and pulled us both together. 'This is the *real* Cinderella, your true love', she said, visibly guilty. She walked away, although I wasn't watching. Kit and I embraced. 'Hello, Kit', I said, relieved to be back with him. But this moment of relief was cut short when Anastasia looked down on the wand and looked up to me for my permission to use it. She wouldn't dare touch the wand without my approval. 'Cinderella?', she called, 'I've got to use this wand. I only want to use it to show what an insolent, spoilt, brazen hussy I really am', she said, fighting back tears, as I looked on, visibly concerned. I knew Anastasia was about to break down. 'It's fine, Anastasia. Go ahead', I answered. Anastasia picked up the wand, placed it on her chest and said 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'. The pseudo-Cinderella she had become faded away to reveal her true form; Anastasia Tremaine, a poor girl who had been spoilt and manipulated all her life, or in her case, 'an insolent, spoilt, brazen hussy'. She then threw the wand over to me and said 'Just take the wand', as she walked over to the King, her head hanging low. I caught the wand and wanted to forgive Anastasia, but as I was about to discover, she was not willing to accept it, because she believed she did not deserve such an act of kindness. Anastasia tried to give the King's precious seashell back and said 'I don't deserve this'. Kit and I walked over to listen. 'Everyone deserves true love', replied the King. But the hapless Anastasia Tremaine was adamant she didn't deserve it. 'That's a lie', she responded. 'Only one can have true love, me or Cinderella, and I cannot have it; I tried to take it away from her. I therefore must let Cinderella have that love'. 'Alright, then. If you've made up your mind can't have true love, you can shut it out', the King concluded, as he reluctantly took his seashell back, taken aback by Anastasia's remark. I was thinking of asking Anastasia 'Why must only one of us have true love?'. Anastasia turned to me and looked me in the eye. 'There, Cinderella, you've got your true love. I'm leaving you; I've got no choice', she declared. She then turned around and headed for the door. 'Wait, Anastasia!', I called out. 'Don't go. You don't have to leave me, Anastasia. I forgive you, and you should forgive yourself, because I know you were only doing this because you were under Tremaine's influence. You don't need to hold a grudge against yourself like this', I told my Stepsister, trying to put her at ease. But, it was too little, too late.

'I can't forgive myself,' Anastasia told me. 'Why can't you, Anastasia?', I asked, shuddered by Anastasia's response. 'Why should I stay, and why should I forgive myself?', asked Anastasia. 'And…and why should you forgive me? I caused you enough trouble. I treated you horribly since Tremaine killed your father and tried to take the Prince away from you. I'm sorry for everything and I promise I will stay out of your life forever', Anastasia told me, breaking down. Her anger finally got the better of her. 'I DON'T DESERVE FORGIVENESS FROM YOU, CINDERELLA, LET ALONE TRUE LOVE!', she howled at me at the top of her lungs. 'I DON'T DESERVE A SMIDGEN, AN IOTA, A KERNEL OF FORGIVENESS FROM YOU! YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TRIED TO PROTECT ME! YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LET TREMAINE TURN ME INTO A TOAD AND LET KIT PROTECT YOU, FOR GOD'S SAKE, AND I SHOULD HAVE EITHER LET TREMAINE USE MAGIC ON ME, OR JUST RAN AWAY AS FAST AS I COULD AND HID MYSELF AWAY FROM YOU AND KIT! I WOULD NO LONGER BE OF ANY CONCERN TO EITHER OF YOU HAD I DONE THAT! I DIDN'T DESERVE YOUR PROTECTION, GIVEN ALL THE PAIN I'VE PUT YOU THROUGH!', she rambled on. I listened in horror. 'You don't deserve to be punished in such a way, Anastasia!', I cried. I saw how sorry Anastasia was, and I was appalled that she thought she deserved to be punished. 'YOU'RE ONLY HALF RIGHT', she retorted. 'I MAY NOT DESERVE TO HAVE MAGIC USED ON ME IN THE MANNER WHICH TREMAINE TRIED TO USE IT ON US, BUT YOU KNOW THAT DEEP DOWN, I STILL DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED, AND YOU KNOW THAT AS WELL, KIT!', she continued. 'That isn't true, Anastasia!', exclaimed Kit. He gazed at Anastasia in horror, along with me, the King and the Grand Duke. We were becoming increasingly horrified by Anastasia's tirade. 'AND THEREFORE, IF YOU WISH TO EXILE ME FROM THE KINGDOM, CINDERELLA, YOU MAY DO SO WITH MY BLESSING! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!', she concluded. 'Yes, Anastasia. But you honestly don't deserve to be punished', I replied, taken aback. 'Before you go, why, Anastasia? That's all I want to know. Why must you not forgive yourself?', I asked. 'ANYONE UNDER LADY TREMAINE'S INFLUENCE IN UNDOING YOUR HAPPILY EVER AFTER SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AN ENEMY OF THE KINGDOM, BECAUSE THEY TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN DOING SO! I HAVE THEREFORE GOT TO FINISH THIS! I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY OUT OF YOUR LIFE! MY DECISION IS FINAL!', she roared back at me. Anastasia then stormed off. 'Anastasia, wait! Don't go, please, I'm begging you!', I cried out to her, but she was now determined to isolate herself from me. Anastasia raced down the aisle at breakneck speed, sobbing and wailing uncontrollably, as tears flooded out of her eyes. She mounted my horse and rode off into the night, with angry determination to cut herself off from me for the rest of her life, as I looked on, not knowing what to do.

I thought that just when it seemed I could finally make amends with my stepsister who had been influenced to treat me so horribly, my efforts had been nullified. For a moment, I was convinced Anastasia was too busy wallowing in guilt to make amends with me. Her ethic, it seemed was that if she was convinced she didn't deserve true love, and by extension, forgiveness, because she had tried to take it away from me, she would have to do everything in her power to make sure she didn't have forgiveness or true love, hence the reason she also called herself 'an insolent, spoilt, brazen hussy'. Anastasia was adamant that my life with my true love was now all that mattered, and that only I deserved true love, and that therefore, her only choice was to isolate herself from me for good. I thought that was the worst possible punishment, as I had seen the good lying deep within Anastasia Tremaine, that had finally been awoken, and I wanted to forgive her, but Anastasia was clearly too guilt-ridden to accept it. Anastasia galloped away to an isolated area of the town, hoping to seek asylum from us for good. As far as she was concerned, she was now a lost cause. Back at the Palace, Kit noticed I was starting to break down after Anastasia's outburst. I was in shock at Anastasia's attempt to desert us, along with her harsh comments about herself, and whilst I could understand why she referred to herself in the terrible words she had spoken, I knew that wasn't true. 'Cinderella, are you alright?', Kit asked me. 'It's Anastasia', I replied. 'I don't think the poor woman has had true love in her life, and that's a genuinely sad thing to say', I expressed. 'And because she's so...deeply remorseful for going along with Lady Tremaine, she's decided she must never have true love, or even forgiveness for that matter. I want to forgive Anastasia for her error of judgement, but she's decided she can't accept it', I continued. Kit embraced me and said 'Don't worry. I think me might still be able to convince her that she *can* make amends to her past sins'. I wiped the tear away from my eye and tried to smile again. 'You may be right', I told Kit. Perhaps Anastasia wasn't a lost cause after all...


	3. True Love At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinderella has won back her beloved Prince Kit, but a deeply angry Anastasia is now on the run, and could be about to desert Cinderella forever, thus robbing her of her one chance to heal a wound in her past. Can Cindy save Anastasia from this self-destructive path, and patch everything up with her before it's too late?

Despite his efforts to dispel Anastasia's doubts, and despite overhearing my conversation about her with Kit, the King was starting to agree with her. 'Why don't you just let her go?', he asked me. But I had seen the good in Anastasia, and instead of letting her go, I decided to make one final effort to make amends and repair my strained relationship with her. 'I don't think we should let her go', I told him. 'There is still some hope'. 'It won't be your choice for Anastasia to isolate herself, will it?', asked Kit. 'Of course it won't', I answered. 'It will be her choice, but it isn't too late to stop her'. 'But for now, I think we should both get hitched together', Kit told me. 'I agree, and then we'll look for Anastasia'. Having been given back the Fairy Godmother's wand, I decided to bring her back. I pointed the wand. 'Do you mind if I join you, Cinderella?', Kit requested. 'Of course', I said. And together, we both said 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo', bringing the Fairy Godmother back from the stone state she had been turned into before Lady Tremaine turned back time. 'Welcome back', I gladly said, as I gave her back her wand. 'Thank you', she responded. 'If I may ask, where's Anastasia?' 'Oh, she realized she only wanted to be loved for herself and not her mother. Tremaine tried to turn her into a toad, but I had to defend Anastasia for her honesty, and then she reunited me with the Prince', I told her. I sighed and told her that Anastasia had decided to isolate herself from me to punish herself for going along with Lady Tremaine. 'But I have seen the good in her heart, and I think that once we're married, we should try one last time to turn her back over'. 'I heartily agree, Cinderella, but before you two are married, I just need to give you a better outfit'. She pointed the wand and called out her beautiful incantation; 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo', giving me a new wedding attire. 'Aww, thank you so much', I said. 'Cinderella, would you like me to return you and the Prince to your former life?', she asked. 'Former life?', asked a confused Kit. 'Yes, well, could you explain, Cinderella?'. 'I'd be happy to do so', I replied. 'Now, Kit, what basically happened was we were already in love, but then Anastasia took the wand for her mother so she could try to undo my happy ending'. 'Thank you, that explains everything', he told me. 'No, thank you', I told my Fairy Godmother. 'I don't see much point in it, to be honest; we're still going to live a happy life together and we'll still be able to have that wedding anniversary in a year's time'. 'Very well, then', she told me. 'I shall leave you both to enjoy your new lives'. 'Thank you', I told Fairy Godmother, as I gave her a wink. She then disappeared as I completed the ceremony, as Anastasia had tried to do prior to my arrival. 'Doesn't anyone want to marry my son?' asked the King. 'I do', I said. 'I now pronounce you both as husband and wife', called the Priest. We then went for a kiss. Shortly after the ceremony, we decided to look for Anastasia, in a final effort to persuade her to take her guilt off her mind. I got into the King's private carriage, with Kit, and with the King and the Grand Duke. 'I'm inclined to think she'll have hidden herself away in the middle of the town', I suggested. 'You might be right', the King told me, as we galloped off in search of Anastasia.

Anastasia had galloped all the way to the harbor, where I boarded a ship when Tremaine tried to have me exiled. She pulled the horse to a halt and then stood for a moment, looking out over the sea. By now, Anastasia was faced with two choices, both of which she saw as equally difficult; return to the palace and make amends with me, or get on the next ship leaving the Kingdom in order to fulfil her threat to isolate herself from the Royal Family for the rest of her life. She walked to the edge of the pontoon and sat down, as the ocean gently lapped against the sea wall. Anastasia closed her eyes and bowed her head. A single tear rolled down each cheek. Anastasia's mind was now awash with all kinds of thoughts. She remembered that had openly confessed to both me and Lady Tremaine that she did not truly love Kit and only wanted to be loved for who she was, but then she realized that she had openly promised to punish herself for going along with Tremaine. She remembered I had tried to forgive her, only to then be reminded that she had brushed me off, simply because she thought she didn't deserve forgiveness from someone who she had put through so much pain and heartache. She was now having flashbacks to the wedding, and she could hear me saying 'I forgive you, and you should forgive yourself'. The words rang in her ears, over and over again. As thoughts continued to rush through Anastasia's mind, I searched the Kingdom for her, along with Kit, the Grand Duke and the King. 'I have a very clear idea of where your Stepsister might have gone', said the King. 'She might have gone to the harbor, because she said something to you about being exiled'. 'In which case, we'd better get there as soon as possible before she can get on a boat; we've already had one of you at risk of being exiled, so we can't afford to lose another', Kit called out. 'Definitely not', I replied. As we changed our course for the harbor, Anastasia then saw, in her mind, me standing in front of her to defend her from Lady Tremaine, and then she heard her loud, petulant voice chastising me for protecting her, once again, because she was convinced she didn't deserve it. She was trying to get these haunting thoughts out of her mind, but without success. Then, finally, she remembered the King saying 'everyone deserves true love', and how she bluntly rejected his offer to keep his wife's seashell. Anastasia was now beginning to realize something; if the person she had subjected to such a terrible life, I.E me, had seen her remorse and was trying to forgive her, then maybe she deserved to be forgiven, and should try to forgive herself. Maybe she didn't deserve to be punished after all. Anastasia slowly sat upright, the moon shining down on her, and the dark blue ocean lapping peacefully against the shore. She finally realized why these thoughts were preying on her mind. 'She was right', she said to herself. 'Maybe I should forgive myself. Maybe I should let Cinderella and Kit forgive me, and maybe I was wrong to desert them'. 'Yes, I should forgive myself', she exclaimed. It finally dawned on her that she indeed did deserve forgiveness, and true love after all, the two things she never imagined she would deserve.

And then, right on cue, we arrived at the harbor. 'Anastasia?', I called. 'Cinderella, Kit?', she called back. She ran over to me, as I leapt out of the carriage and ran over to her, followed by Kit, the King and the Grand Duke. Already overcome with her remorse from going along with Lady Tremaine, coupled with her newfound remorse for trying to abandon Kit and I, Anastasia broke down again as she approached me. I wrapped the poor girl in a huge hug, as she rested her head on my shoulder. 'Just relax, Anastasia. Everything is alright', I assured her in a soothing voice. We let go of each other, as Anastasia wiped the tears away from her eyes, and took a deep breath to regain her composure. Kit came over and stood by me as the King and the Grand Duke both listened intently to our conversation. For the first time in her life, Anastasia had my shoulder to cry on. 'Cinderella, you must understand that I have realized I was wrong to try and punish myself in such a manner, and I am sorry for effectively inviting you to turn back on your kindness', Anastasia told me. 'I accept your forgiveness, and more importantly, I think I should try and forgive myself. But, Cinderella, you must understand that I only tried to go through with my mother's plan because I was under her influence', she continued. 'I understand completely, Anastasia', I assured her. 'And so do I', Kit told her. 'For when I heard you saying 'I DON'T' and telling me that you only want someone to love you for yourself, I could see in your eyes how genuinely sorry you are for everything that's been going on since Lady Tremaine killed our parents; no wonder she called you 'a stuck-up, precious little bitch'. I couldn't allow your mother to harm you for trying to fix my happy ending, and so I had to defend you, and Kit and I were both shocked, and actually quite disappointed when you decided you didn't deserve to be forgiven, and that you also didn't deserve to be protected by me. Had you managed to get on the next ship leaving the Kingdom, I would've been devastated, because that would be the worst possible way to punish yourself', I expressed to her.

Kit then joined the conversation. 'And I was equally shocked that you decided to punish yourself in such a harsh manner; because you honestly didn't need to be so hard on yourself, Anastasia, and I personally think you made your mind up far too quickly, because you know you don't deserve to be exiled, and you know that neither of us would want such a thing to happen to you', he expressed. 'However, Anastasia, I can understand why you called yourself 'an insolent, spoilt, brazen hussy', as harsh as that was', I continued. 'But that's only because I was spoilt and manipulated by Lady Tremaine', she clarified. 'Indeed it is. I'm glad you decided not to fulfil your threat to leave the Kingdom, and I'm glad you now know that you *do* deserve my forgiveness, and my protection after all, and that you don't deserve to be punished', I said gladly. 'I'm glad, too Anastasia; I had seen the good in you and know you *definitely* don't deserve to be punished', Kit told her. 'I know this may be difficult to do, but do you think we can try and put all of this in the past?', she asked with a hesitant expression. 'And what about you, Kit, can we put all of this behind us as well?'. Anastasia was hesitant because she was worried that I may have also been sceptical about whether we could truly repair our strained relationship. But she could rest assured that I was willing to make amends with her. 'I think we can definitely do that. I think we can wipe the slate clean and become True Sisters, from this moment forward', I told Anastasia. 'And I can become your True Brother and guardian, Anastasia', Kit added. 'Thank you so much, and thank you for protecting me as well', she replied, with a growing smile. I embraced Anastasia and said 'Aww, you're welcome, Anastasia'. Kit, the King and the Grand Duke all smiled in relief. Anastasia and I had finally made amends with each other, and our animosity was now at an end.

The King then held the seashell out to Anastasia and said 'You can still take this, Anastasia'. She took the shell and thanked the King. 'You were right, Your Majesty, everyone does true love after all', she commented. 'And now, you can find someone to love you for who you truly are, without your mother on your back', I added. Kit and I smiled knowingly at Anastasia, for she was now a member of the Royal Family, and she deserved that place in the family for her repentance. Anastasia joined Kit and I in a group hug, as the King and Grand Duke applauded; for we were now a family. We then got back in the carriage and set off back to the palace for the wedding party, but, not before the Fairy Godmother reappeared in our path. She told us that she had decided to restore Tremaine and Drizella's human forms. The King responded 'I think they should be made to work for us'. 'I agree, Your Majesty; I think that's the right sort of punishment for all the abuse and manipulation they've carried out on me, and the Prince, not to mention you, Anastasia'. Fairy Godmother nodded in agreement. 'And so do I; they both need a dose of their own medicine', she told us. She returned to the castle, where some of the King's guards were now threatening the toads. They were turned into humans again, this time wearing the exact same rags I had been forced to wear, and they would have to work for the King as lowly servants, the King said that prior to the Fairy Godmother's arrival, he considered banishing them, but after our conversation with Fairy Godmother, he changed his mind. The Grand Duke also had a confession to make. 'I was actually considering sending your stepfamily to prison, but I changed my mind once your Fairy Godmother spoke to us', he confessed. 'I'm glad you've reconsidered it, because I feel sending the Tremaines to prison would probably be a step too far', I replied. The Grand Duke had also decided it would be far more effective to subject them to the same terrible life they had forced me to endure. We continued back to the castle where our wedding party awaited us. 'And so, we will live happily ever after, again of course', I remarked. Anastasia and Kit nodded in agreement. And all three of us were in for an even happier ending; we had now become a family, and Anastasia and I were now True Sisters, and Kit now had both and a wife and a sister. That sister was Anastasia Tremaine, who tried to get hitched with the Prince for the disgraced head of the household, and realized she didn't truly love him, and that only wanted love for herself. I saw her remorse and defended her from her mother, and, whilst she was at first convinced she did not deserve to be forgiven, I managed to convince Anastasia she did deserve forgiveness and true love after all. We were now able to put our animosity firmly behind us, and Anastasia now had a second chance to go after that love she so desperately wanted. And as we arrived back at the castle for the wedding party, I held Kit and Anastasia's hands. 'And we will live even more 'happily ever after', than we did in your previous happy ending', Anastasia remarked. 'And nothing can come between us, this time', I replied, as we headed back into the palace for our wedding reception.

During the party, Anastasia met and fell in love with Scott, one of the bakers on hand. When we left for our honeymoon, they started dating seriously. When we arrived back at the palace, Anastasia, now my lady-in-waiting helped me to adapt to my new position as Princess. Kit had to go on an important trip with the King and Grand Duke, so Anastasia and I were left holding the fort in their absence. Together, we planned our first ever royal banquet, and despite some early concerns from Prudence, the King's right-hand woman, that he would object the changes we made, breaking from the old traditions, he liked them. 'I'm glad you do things your own way, Cinderella', she remarked, as she surveyed the achievement we had made as True Sisters. 'Thank you, Anastasia. Someday I'll get this Princess thing right', I replied. 'I think you already have', Kit added. On the other hand, things were not going well for Lady Tremaine and Drizella. They repeatedly challenged the King's authority and caused chaos within the cellars of the palace, making the guard's lives a misery. The King's punishments became increasingly severe. 3 months later, they decided to make a break for freedom and managed to escape from the castle and seal themselves inside their old chateau. The King's guards eventually found them and took them back the palace. The King was now considering banishing them from the Kingdom. Having decided they could no longer do any damage to me or Anastasia, Lady Tremaine and Drizella decided to jump before they were pushed. The King decided it was probably just as well that they wanted to leave his kingdom, and allowed them to do so. We were all relieved to know that the rest of the Tremaine family would no longer be of any concern to any one of us. 'I'm glad they're off our backs, Cinderella; they were the only reason I treated you so horribly in the first place', Anastasia commented. 'Indeed, they were, and we will always be True Sisters', I replied, as I embraced her.

Nine months later and Prince Kit and I were once again celebrating our first wedding anniversary, which oddly enough, coincided with Anastasia's marriage with Scott. Fairy Godmother was there. Instead of the King planning the occasion, Fairy Godmother offered to orchestrate the party herself. This time, instead of Anastasia feeling her groom was not her true love and saying 'I don't', as she did when she tried to marry Kit, but turned him down at the last minute, this time, she finally said 'I do'. Kit and I smiled lovingly at the two of them, and I even shed a tear of joy. 'She's finally found her true love', I declared. Kit and I walked up to the altar to join Scott and Anastasia in a group hug. 'Thank you for helping me get here, Cinderella', Anastasia said. 'Aww, you're welcome', I responded. Kit and I joined Scott and Anastasia in their first dance as husband and wife. They song playing was a song I made up myself during my time as a scullery maid; 'A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes', by the time the song reached the final part of the chorus, none of us could help but sing 'No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true!'. Shortly after our dance, Kit told my True Sister 'You were right, Anastasia. We will *definitely* live even more 'happily ever after', than we did in Cinderella's previous happy ending'. 'I agree', Anastasia gleefully remarked. 'Indeed, we will', I added, as everyone applauded us. The family we had created when Anastasia Tremaine became a shadow of her former self and fixed my happy ending was now complete. I had not only a True Sister who realized what True Love really was, mended her once-strained relationship with me and finally found her own happy ending, but I also had a brother. I always dreamed my life could be like a fairytale, a perfect fantasy, and it turned out to be so much more than a dream come true. I was now a princess, a wife and True Sister. And so since then, we have lived, and we always will live happily ever after. The End.

Cast:  
Jennifer Hale: Cinderella (Narrator)  
Chris Daniel Barnes: Kit  
Tress MacNeille: Anastasia  
Russi Taylor: Drizella and Fairy Godmother  
Susanne Blakeslee: Lady Tremaine  
Michael Gambon: The King

(I decided to list the cast just for the sake of doing so)

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to create this alternate ending to Cinderella III:A Twist In Time, which is generally considered by many as one of the better direct-to-DVD Disney Sequels. I wanted to create a more guilt-ridden Anastasia and an even more ruthless Lady Tremaine, hence why I created the horrifying reveal of the latter being responsible for the death of her own husband, and both of Cinderella's parents. I also felt that Anastasia needed to be more overtly guilty and ashamed in my fanfic so that Cinderella would come to realize how truly sorry she was for everything, as I felt the original movie was a little bit reined in.
> 
> Cinderella and Anastasia's relationship is the core focus of this fanfic, which I felt it needed to be, and I wanted to show Anastasia as a person who was a victim of her mother's manipulation, and needed a saviour herself. But I wanted to also have Anastasia's burning guilt very nearly getting the better of her, when she rages at Cinderella for protecting her from Lady Tremaine when she refuses to marry Prince Kit, and claims that she doesn't deserve her forgiveness, and then attempts to board the next ship leaving the Kingdom, having given up all faith in herself. And this could have been a terrible loss for Cinderella, because in spite of everything Anastasia did to her, she genuinely cared about her and knew she had a good heart deep down.
> 
> But of course, Cinderella is able to talk some sense into Anastasia, and convince her to let go of her past and forgive herself, because that's the kind of person she is. Cinderella was intentionally written as a role model, rather than a relatable person. She is able to see the good in most people and bring out the best of them, even under the worst circumstances, and that's why I feel this story is a shining example of that. 
> 
> On a side note, whilst I do enjoy Andre Stojka as the King, I felt that Michael Gambon would me an even better voice, having seen his performance as Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies (taking over from Richard Harris).
> 
> Thank you for reading! I'm always open to feedback, so please comment below and I can build upon this starting point :)


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